


Stay

by mostlovedgirl



Series: Writerversary 2020 [4]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien is 25, Aged Up, Alternate Universe - No Miraculous, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst, F/M, Felix is 10 years older than Adrien, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Character Death, Plans Going Wrong, adrienette - Freeform, proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:22:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26732815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mostlovedgirl/pseuds/mostlovedgirl
Summary: Everything was perfect—the food, the flowers, the music. Nothing was going to ruin his and Marinette's special moment. How very wrong he was.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng
Series: Writerversary 2020 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1896934
Comments: 17
Kudos: 74





	Stay

**Author's Note:**

  * For [NerdyPanda3126](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NerdyPanda3126/gifts).



> Prompt: "Want me to go with you?" Requested by NerdyPanda3126.
> 
> Special thanks to ChocoluckChipz (Totally_lucky) and TheNovelArtist for the beta read.

Everything was prepared. Adrien cooly finished tying his light pink tie and slid the knot into place. Internally he was bouncing with equal parts excitement and nerves.

Nino read off the list Alya had prepared, while the journalist circled Adrien with her camera, filming him fastening his cufflinks.

“Confirm the dinner reservation?” Nino asked.

“Check.” Adrien reached for his suit jacket and slipped it on.

“Flowers?”

“Check.” He had Alya pause filming long enough to run a lint roller over his black suit.

“String quartet. Seriously, Dude?”

Adrien grinned at his best friend’s reflection in the mirror.

“Check.”

“Ring?”

His grin softened as he picked up the blue velvet jewelry box.

“Check.”

“Ooooh. Let me get a shot,” Alya insisted.

Adrien hadn’t asked her to document all of this, but he figured the video would make a fun memory to revisit one day. Obligingly, he opened the ring box to reveal the cushion-cut solitaire set in rose gold with a halo of smaller diamonds surrounding the center stone. 

“Daaaang, Bro.”

“Shut it,” Alya scolded her long-time boyfriend. “It’s beautiful, Adrien. She’s gonna love it.” An alarm went off on her phone. “That’s my cue. Our girl should be home in ten.” She dropped her phone in her purse and headed for the door. “I’m gonna go help her get ready. Stay out of trouble, you two.” She exchanged _la bise_ with Adrien, and gave Nino a quick but sound kiss before rushing out.

“Later, Babe,” Nino barely got out before the door swung shut.

Adrien tucked the ring box securely in his pocket.

“You ready for this?” Nino asked.

Adrien grinned like he was the luckiest man in the world. 

“Absolutely.”

* * *

Stunning. Marinette was absolutely stunning.

Her hair hung in a smooth curtain around her shoulders. The sapphire blue material of her dress accentuated the milkiness of her clear skin and made the color of her eyes pop.

Adrien was sure he had a dopey smile on his face that made him look like an idiot, but he didn’t care. He was completely smitten and didn’t mind if the whole world knew it.

The dinner was superb. Each course was prepared to perfection. Each menu item Adrien had selected (with Alya’s mother's guidance) had a memory attached to it that he and Marinette shared. Now they were dancing slowly to the setlist Nino had helped him finalize. The string quartet was coming to the conclusion of Ed Sheeran’s _Perfect_. Next, they would play Marinette’s favorite song, and he would get down on one knee. His girlfriend would blush at his public display. He would pop the question, she would say yes, they would probably both shed a few happy tears, then they would go to her parents’ house where their friends were waiting with several bottles of champagne to celebrate the happy couple.

“What are you smiling about?” Marinette asked, a glint of mischief in her eye.

“What’s not to smile about?” he countered, then leaned his forehead against hers and sighed. “I have the most amazing woman in the world in my arms, and I’m never going to let her go.”

“Never?” she teased.

He shook his head. Her bangs tickled his forehead. “Never. I’m addicted to your love, my Lady. I can’t ever give you up.”

The song ended. Adrien’s nerves sang with anticipation. The ring box was burning a hole in his pocket.

“Marinette, I—“

Someone tapped his shoulder. “Monsieur Agreste?”

Adrien turned to the intruder interrupting his big moment and bringing a halt to their dance. 

_‘Not now!’_ he growled internally.

“Yes?” he asked with strained patience.

“Pardon me, Monsieur,” the woman Adrien recognized as the restaurant's manager begged. “I am so sorry to intrude, but there is an urgent phone call for you.”

Adrien was about to insist that he would deal with it later— _his phone was turned off for a reason_ —and ask the madame if she would be so kind as to take a message.

“Adrien?” Marinette cut in softly. “It must be pretty important if they bothered to call the restaurant. Why don’t you see what that’s about.”

“But…”

It was no use. She was giving him that look that said, ‘It’s for the best. Trust me.’

Adrien sighed, not the happy simper he’d been indulging in throughout the evening, but a heavy one that conveyed his displeasure. “Very well.”

The woman nodded and led him and his soon-to-be fiancée to a private corner with a landline telephone. Adrien couldn’t remember the last time he’d used something with a cord attached. He held Marinette’s hand as he picked up the receiver, feeling more than a little disgruntled.

“Hello?”

“Hello? Adrien?” 

_‘Oh, for the love—‘_

“Nathalie, I can’t talk right now. I’ll call you on Monday, alright?”

“Adrien. It’s about Félix. There was an accident. A multi-vehicle pileup.”

Adrien went very still. His father’s assistant actually sounded upset. 

“Is he okay?” he asked carefully. 

Nathalie took a breath like she was bracing herself. Adrien tightened his hold on Marinette’s hand.

“He was already gone by the time the paramedics arrived on the scene.”

“Bridgette and the kids?” 

“The children are fine. They were at home at the time. Bridgette was in the car with Félix. She's in intensive care. Adrien, the doctor I spoke with indicated that her prognosis isn’t good.”

Adrien was silent for a long minute. Marinette hugged his arm, her strong fingers squeezing his hand back.

 _‘What’s wrong?’_ she asked with her eyes, their clear blue clouded with concern.

Adrien shook his head minusculely.

“Arrangements are being made for a service next Friday,” Nathalie said. “Should I—“

“Put me on the next flight,” Adrien confirmed. 

“Very well. I will have your itinerary prepared within the hour. I’m sorry for your loss. Goodnight.”

The receiver made a jarring, jangling sound when Adrien replaced it in its cradle.

“Adrien?” Marinette asked, running her hand across his shoulder soothingly.

“I need to pack. I’m sorry, Marinette.”

“Pack? Adrien, what happened? What’s wrong?”

He leaned into her. Just a few minutes ago he’d been drawing her closer because any space between them left him feeling incomplete. Now, he leaned on her for support.

“There was an accident in London. Félix didn’t make it. Bridgette’s in critical condition. She’s not expected to last much longer.”

Marinette gasped and wrapped her arms around him, propping him up.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered.

Adrien returned her embrace, holding her tight for a few seconds, drawing on her strength.

“I have to go,” he whispered into her shoulder.

“Right. Of course.” There was no stopping his girlfriend when she had a goal. She was like a single-minded force of nature.

In minutes she had verified that the bill was taken care of, collected their coats, and paged his car.

“Adrien’s place,” she instructed the driver.

The man looked at Adrien, seeking confirmation. Those weren’t the instructions he had been given earlier. Adrien nodded and started loosening his tie. It was like he couldn’t breathe. Was it possible to feel pale? Was that a thing?

“You okay?” Marinette asked quietly.

“No,” Adrien admitted. “I’m going to London on the next available flight.”

“Want me to go with you?”

“Marinette,” he grasped her hand and pulled it to his lips, kissing her knuckles. “I love that you are offering, but you are busy with that new fashion line. I can’t ask you to drop that and come with me.”

“You’re not asking; I’m volunteering. My team can handle the new line for a few days.”

The way she was biting her bottom lip gave away the anxiety she was feeling while imagining turning over control of the sample garments’ construction to her group of junior designers and interns.

Adrien forced a small smile for her, and pulled her bottom lip free with the pad of his thumb, lightly stroking it where it had been caught in her teeth.

“I won’t be gone long, Love. A week at most.”

“You’re sure you don’t want me to come?”

“I’m sure.” He kissed her, quick and light, then pulled out his phone, powered it on, and started searching for news of the accident.

Marinette stayed by his side, lightly stroking the hand he had absent-mindedly placed on her knee. The street lights flashed by the tinted windows. Adrien read, waiting for reality to catch up with him.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm going to have to come back and finish this one. But first I have the rest of Writerversary to wrap up and a book to finish, so it's going to be a while. (I'm sorry!) If you want to be notified when another chapter is posted, hit the subscribe button above. ♥


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